VR Porn: Present and Future

46

2

It is often claimed that the porn industry helps Virtual Reality to succeed. In fact, Virtual Reality could lead the porn industry to new shores. Today, few people are willing to spend money on porn content. High-quality VR videos, however, are so large that streaming is often not a sensible option and therefore only the download from the portals of the providers remains. So is VR porn a worthwhile business?

Virtual Reality Porn in the Present

The “Eurowebtainment” conference brought together various companies more or less related to the porn industry. Not only direct content providers were represented here, but also companies that deal with e-mail addresses, process payments or act as collection service providers.

Virtual reality porn is on everyone’s lips, but the event was less noticeable than we would have expected. Although there was a small round of lectures on the topic and a subsequent discussion, there was no real hype yet. Rather, the impression was given that Virtual Reality was only an intermediate stage to the perfect porn experience. Similar to the gaming industry, the porn industry dreams of bringing the depicted scenes directly into your living room.

But perhaps this is already possible to a certain extent with current VR glasses? We met Stefan Geisler, who produces 180-degree videos for RealityLovers. According to Geisler, 3D 180-degree videos are currently the best way to display porn in VR. Currently, there is no 360-degree camera that meets the demands of producers. The 180-degree videos are also based on available equipment, which, however, has been heavily modified. According to Geisler, such a system is also the current standard in the scene, because one would rather create a beautiful picture in front of the user than a mediocre picture that completely surrounds the user.

Stefan GeisslerIn order to achieve a higher level of intimacy, the company is currently experimenting with 180-degree shots recorded in front of a green screen. The user can then select the desired background himself and also use his own 360-degree photos. The user can thus bring the actor directly into his or her desired environment, creating the illusion of being in a complete 360-degree scene. A similar principle is also known to us from NOYS VR. A musician is filmed in a green screen and then placed on a virtual stage. A real person is placed in an environment in which the VR user can move freely. Live sex shows in VR? Thinkable.

RealityLovers also wants to offer added value and provides current VR recordings in two different versions.

There is a POV version and an observer version.

This has the advantage that the viewer does not have to identify with the actors, but can also simply observe the action.

Many people probably experience a worse immersion if the actor of the POV version does not fit their own appearance.

A very big problem of the porn industry seems to be that no corresponding players with pornographic content for iOS or Android may be provided in the corresponding stores. This means that many users are denied access to high-quality VR content on their smartphones.

Virtual Reality Porn in the Future

What became clear during the lecture and the conversation with Geisler is the fact that the technology is not yet ready to offer a completely immersive experience today. That’s why people are also very interested in volumetric videos that allow the user to move something in the scene shown.

Nevertheless, the direction seems clear: Augmented Reality Porn or Mixed Reality Porn could change the industry more than the current Virtual Reality technology. The holograms in your own living room make a much more intimate situation possible, and with the right accessories the right feedback could be provided.

But if we use live holograms and accessories that allow feedback to be synchronized, are we still talking about porn or are we in some kind of gap between porn and sex for sale? Whether feedback systems for sex in VR or MR will prevail, however, is questionable. After all, such an accessory is only a niche in another niche and therefore there are currently no big profits to be made here.